Tanks roll into Washington DC for Trump's 4 July parade, as $2.5m ‘diverted from parks funding’ to help pay for it

Engineers reportedly fear 62-ton war machines could damage Lincoln Memorial

Tanks have rolled into Washington DC as preparations for Donald Trump‘s so-called “salute to America” extravaganza on 4 July neared completion.

M1 Abrams main battle tanks were transported to the capital by rail alongside Bradley fighting vehicles, and are expected to be among a wide array of military hardware on show.

Flyovers by the US Navy’s Blue Angels display team and Air Force One, and potentially F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, a B2 bomber plus US Marine Corps helicopters, are also set to take place, shutting down air traffic at Ronald Reagan airport.

It came as the National Park Service was forced to divert some $2.5m (£2m) in entrance fees to help pay for the event, according to the Washington Post. Such funds are ordinarily used to maintain habitats inside parks or repair roads, the paper reported.

The White House has not said how much it expects the celebrations, reminiscent of France’s Bastille Day festivities which Mr Trump witnessed in 2017, to cost overall. The Pentagon postponed a military parade planned for last November after estimates it could set taxpayers back $90m (£72m).

The Post also reported on fears that the weight of tanks could damage the Lincoln Memorial, where Mr Trump plans to give a speech. Engineers were assessing whether the 62-ton Abrams vehicles could affect underground rooms at the site.

Washington’s legislature, the Council of the District of Columbia, said the war machines could damage local roads and tweeted: “Tanks, but no tanks.”

Mr Trump’s opponents have questioned whether he will turn the independence day celebrations into a political rally. His address at the Lincoln Memorial is intended “to honour America’s armed forces”, the Interior Department has previously said, though the president has a notoriously freewheeling style of public speaking.

The plans constituted “a shameful misuse of our military for a gratuitous display of strength by a president who relishes the attention of despots and dictators,” claimed congresswoman Betty McCollum.

Presidents have not traditionally sought a prominent role in 4 July celebrations.

Hogan Gidley, the White House spokesman, called any suggestion Mr Trump could politicise the event “absolutely ridiculous”. “This is all about a salute to America. The president is not going to get political,” he told Fox Business Network.

Regardless of the content of his address, Mr Trump will face protests with anti-war group Code Pink having secured permission to bring a Trump baby blimp to the capital – though, reportedly, not to fill it with helium that would allow it to float.

Additional reporting by agencies